OnePlus 6’s Face Unlock Gets Fooled by a Photo

Oneplus 6 which was launched earlier this month globally, which possess stellar internal specifications and features that is currently the trend on Android and iOS smartphones alike – Face Unlock, looks like might not be so secure. Ever since Apple came up with Face Unlock feature everyone is jumped on the “Face Unlock” bandwagon. Most just rely on the selfie camera and no additional hardware for a proper biometric authentication. And that just doesn’t offer the same level of security.

A user on Twitter with handle @rikvduijn shared a video of how his friend used a photo of ‘rik’ with the OnePlus 6, which easily unlocked. He has shown the Face Unlock can be easily fooled by a simple photo. In the video, the friend is using a mask like a cut-out of the user’s face, and the phone was tricked by the same.

While the video seems to show the issue, we cannot verify the same considering it does not show the OnePlus 6 during the unlocking process. Neither does the video reveal as to whether the face was registered using an actual person or with the same printed sheet of paper.

Soon after the video revealed Oneplus contactedRik, and said they were investigating the issue.

OnePlus in its statement said: “We designed Face Unlock around convenience, and while we took corresponding measures to optimise its security we always recommended you use a password/PIN/fingerprint for security. For this reason, Face Unlock is not enabled for any secure apps such as banking or payments. We’re constantly working to improve all of our technology, including Face Unlock.”

The statement clearly reflects that OnePlus’ Face Unlock technology is still not at par with some of the other alternatives in the market like Apple’s Face ID or Samsung’s Intelligent Scan.

Well, there’s a reason that Apple jammed an entire Kinect in the iPhone X. And why Samsung and a few others use iris scanners. If you need a secure way to lock your OnePlus 6, stick with the fingerprint reader.

Suprisingly, the OnePlus 5T doesn’t seem to be fooled by photos, whether printed or on a digital screen.